Ryan's Feeling Jealous
by FreekyDisaster18
Summary: Castle points out that Esposito has been coming into work with Lanie for the past two weeks which makes Ryan feel a range of emotions, the main one being jealousy.
1. Authors Note

Dear RySpito readers,

I'm sorry that I've had to re-upload this story but the original story went missing for some strange reason. It's the exact same story, obviously, but I'll be adding chapter two tomorrow so not to flood your inbox with chapters.

Let's pray that this one doesn't go missing too!

Much love,

Freekydisaster18


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHORS NOTE: Well I'm back with another RySpito story but this is me attempting to write a chaptered story (only three though so don't panic!) based off a prompt of "Esposito and Lanie have been getting closer and it's making Ryan jealous" which I'm working on as a fic off with my dear fellow writer and friend, ThePointGirl. Much love to my friend Lindsey for reading over this for me.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters.**

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><p><strong>[Ryan's Feeling Jealous]<strong>

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><p>The blonde haired detective should have known that Castle was up to something the minute the writer wheeled Esposito's chair round to Ryan's side of the desk and just sat there silently, his fingertips tapping an irregular tune against the thermal coffee cup he owned and just stared into space. Ryan knew that Castle wanted him to ask what was bothering him or at least what he wanted but he wasn't going to give the stirring writer that satisfaction. He just continued searching for a lead on their case, his hands moving paperwork after paperwork around his desk while searching things online too.<p>

He could hear Castle huffing and puffing to his side, his foot now tapping a louder pattern than of his fingertips but Ryan couldn't help but smirk. The man was like a small child and he knew it wouldn't be long until he caved, exploding like a bubble, before telling Ryan what was on his mind. Ryan actually only gave it five seconds and actually started counting down in his head.

_Five..._

Castle moved one of the files that Ryan had been reading but the man didn't say anything.

_Four..._

He played about with the coffee, pretending he was going to spill it over the paperwork to get a reaction but they both knew that Beckett would shoot him for compromising potential information.

_Three..._

He actually started to hum. The tune of "I know something you don't know, doo dah, doo dah" causing Ryan to actually chuckle but he didn't avert his attention, his hand clicking at his computer mouse as he pretended to be transfixed on the e-mails that he'd just opened.

_Two.._

Pulling out his mobile, Castle started taking photos of Ryan threatening to upload them on twitter with funny captions but, again, Ryan just ignored him and continued on his work. He wasn't going to ask because he knew that it was going to be some silly piece of information that had nothing to do with their case and knowing his luck, Beckett would walk out and demand to know what he had when the answer was nothing.

_One..._

And without stopping for breath, Castle exploded as he said. "Did you know that for the past two weeks Esposito has been getting lifts in to work from Lanie?" Ryan couldn't help but smile at how Castle hadn't managed to keep it to himself but he also couldn't help but mull the words over. Why would Esposito be getting lifts to work from Lanie? Esposito lived no where near Lanie and it was completely out of her way for her to go pick him up. Ryan was aware of how much car trouble Esposito had with his car but usually Ryan would pick him up or Esposito would pick Ryan up if his car wasn't working. It was just the way they were.

"Do you think that maybe they're..." He couldn't even finish the sentence and he didn't know why. Was he upset that Esposito hadn't told him about his new found romance in the form of the pretty brunette medical examiner? No. It couldn't be that. They were close but they weren't a pair of girls that needed to share such information. He could understand though why Esposito hadn't told him. He was probably afraid that it would be frowned upon seeing as they work together but seriously, with their hours, when the hell were they supposed to meet suitable partners outside of the precinct?

The two would make a beautiful couple, Ryan thought miserably as he processed all the times they'd been together and Esposito just seemed to naturally flirt with Lanie over a dead body or whenever she came up to the bullpen to fill Beckett in on more information. It was natural between them. Lanie was a beautiful woman. There was no denying that and she would be the perfect kind of woman for Esposito so why did he have a sinking sensation in his stomach?

"I don't know," Castle said leaning back in his chair, his focus on his coffee mug as he thought about how he was going to approach his next thought. "Would you be okay if they were?"

Castle's question caught him off guard but he covered the fluster by laughing, his eyebrow raising as he turned to look at the writer that had slowly become a firm friend as well as colleague. "What are you hinting at, Castle?" He wanted to know because that wasn't the kind of question you ask a man about his work partner. Castle had made it sound as if they were much more than that but at the same time, Ryan didn't think he was referring to their relationship being that of two men who saw each other as brothers rather than just colleagues.

"I've seen the way you look him," Castle said slowly, his voice dropping a level so that no one could overhear their conversation and start spreading rumours. "I might not be a detective, Ryan, but I'm a writer and I can read people too." Ryan knew this was the truth. If Castle had failed at writing then being a detective should have been second on his list because he was simply amazing at reading people, not that Ryan would ever tell the egotistical writer this information, and would have been fantastic in Beckett's job. Ryan often wondered why the man just didn't apply for a transfer into the police force but then he'd actually have to follow rules and he wouldn't much like that.

Realising that his thoughts had wandered off topic, Ryan just shook his head as he looked over at Castle, "I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted before rising from his chair and moving to the break room, his hand reaching out for one of the mugs so that he could make himself a coffee but he should have known better. Of course Castle would follow him into the break room.

"You both find excuses to touch each other." Feeding the birds, a habit that Castle had brought into the precinct, allowed their fingers to touch but he knew that wasn't what Castle was talking about. It was the slight touch of the arm when they were walking side by side, the way that they leant into each other when they were standing giving the information they'd gathered to Beckett or the way they'd just lean over the other while they were trying to work the computer. They were small, simple touches but apparently Ryan wasn't the only one who had been focusing on them recently.

"You have a slight obsession of staring at him." Ryan winced at that one because he knew that one day he'd get caught staring, no leering, at his partner. He couldn't help it. Some of the things Esposito did just made Ryan stare at him in awe. One of the main things was when he spoke Spanish. Every syllable formed a knot in the blonde haired detective's stomach, his eyes focusing on his mouth as they formed the words. Another time was when he genuinely had a strong knowledge or passion about one of the topics or situations that came up during one of their murders and he'd talk about it endlessly, affirming to the team that he wasn't just the brawn of this team but he had brains too and Ryan couldn't help but smile and listen like a love sick teenager.

"And you..."

"Okay Castle," Ryan cut him off, his hand raised as he felt a migraine starting to form just above his left eye but that didn't deter him from turning on the coffee machine, "I get the damned picture." The last part was growled but he couldn't help it. Castle needed a round of applause for keeping this little observation to himself. Ryan was surprised that the whole precinct didn't know about this silly episode and sighed as he ran his hand through his brown hair. "Castle, I think you're over reading my actions..."

"Are you genuinely going to try and deny your feelings to me?" Castle actually sounded wounded and Ryan sighed as he moved to sit down at the break room table, taking a sip of his coffee and waited knowing that Castle would sit across from him. "Did you know that you had these feelings for the man?"

"I don't..." he stopped talking because he knew that lying to the other man wasn't fair on Castle or himself. Of course Ryan had stopped once or twice and had thought that his actions towards his obviously straight partner were more than that of friendship but he had them under control. They could still have their banter, their Madden nights and be each other's wingman without Ryan fearing about his heart being broken. Ryan had genuinely believed that he'd managed to control his feelings so that no one but him knew. He should have realised that Castle wasn't blind nor stupid. "Castle, it doesn't matter. Okay?"

"Ryan, love always matters."

Raising his eyebrow, Ryan took a drink of his coffee before stating calmly, "oh really? So, Romeo, when are you going to tell our fearless leader that you're madly in love with her?" The question had the desired effect because Castle tipped an imaginary hat at the man, his lips pursed as he realised that anything else he could say would now land on deaf ears because Ryan had definitely raised a fair point. Damned detective's and their interrogation methods.

Sighing, Castle looked over at Ryan with a fond smile before laughing. "Ryan, I didn't want to bring it up," Ryan looked at the guy, head cocked to the side and eyebrow raised causing Castle to nod his head again, "Okay. So I did. I wanted to see your reaction but I also don't think you'll be able to cope if it turns out that they really are in a relationship."

Ryan was about to respond to that when he heard the ping of the elevator indicating that someone was about to come off. Looking towards the elevator, well the best you can from the break room, Ryan couldn't help but notice that it was Esposito with Lanie. Lanie had her arm hooked through Esposito's, her bright smile aimed directly at him as he told her something in that low voice of his and when he finished, Lanie burst out into a fit of laughter and slapped her hand against his chest as she shook her head. The interaction was innocent, the same kind that always happened between the detective and medical examiner when they were around each other, but Ryan couldn't help but look away, his grip tightening on his mug as he realised one thing and he was now blaming Castle for the epiphany.

Ryan was most definitely jealous of Lanie.

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><p><strong>to be continued...<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHORS NOTE: I'm so sorry! I promised to get this out to you and then life got in the way but thanks to the anonymous review yesterday that kicked my butt into gear because here I am with chapter two!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters.**

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><p>Letting himself into his apartment, Ryan couldn't help but feel all the tension he'd been carrying around with him leave his tired body as he moved to fall down on to the red couch. After his little epiphany that morning in the break room, Ryan had found himself wanting to avoid Esposito for as much as he could and by midday he wanted to shoot Castle for opening his big mouth. He hadn't even been subtle with his evasion. There had been one point where Ryan needed to go out into the field to hunt down the victim's mistress and had invited Castle to go with him because the writer had voiced, several times, that he was bored. Ryan had left almost immediately but he'd heard Castle explain that he was trying to solidify the two male detectives in the Heat series and this would be a fantastic opportunity.<p>

Running his hand over his face, he sighed as he realised that that would have obviously hurt Esposito's feelings. They were partners and today, Ryan had most definitely failed at being partner. He'd 'forgot' to make Esposito coffee, had gone out for lunch with Castle after their little excursion together and had just left at the end of the day without saying goodbye. Now, as he laid in the darkness of his living room and assessed his actions, he could see that he'd acted like a teenage school girl who was struggling with her first crush. Groaning, he cursed himself as he wondered if he should phone Esposito and explain. The issue was... explain what? He couldn't phone up his partner and be all "hey there, bro. I just want to explain about my actions today. Well you see Castle was stirring again and made me realise that I was madly in love with you..."

_madly in love with you..._

Well that thought stopped Ryan in his tracks. When had it become love? He should have shot Castle. He was fine beforehand with the small touches, the inside jokes and their damned Madden nights. They were partners, best friends and that was the way it should be. Ryan had already mentally acknowledged that nothing could ever happen between Esposito and himself but that was now blown in tatters. Why did Esposito have to date someone that they worked with? Ryan was well aware that it was very rare they met anyone else but... He growled to himself as he pushed himself off the couch and headed towards the kitchen but froze when there was a knock at his door.

"Oh no," he whispered to himself as he moved towards the door and peered cautiously through the peep hole. Well his gut instinct was correct. It was most definitely his partner and the scowl on his face didn't look promising. Maybe he could pretend that he wasn't in. Surely there was somewhere Ryan could be on a...

"I know you're in there so stop pretending that you're not," the gruff voice called through the door causing Ryan to mentally curse as he unlocked the door and pulled it open, forcing a smile onto his face as he stared at his partner. "Where else would you be on Monday night, Ryan?" The man asked shaking his head as he walked into the apartment, uninvited, and made his way to the kitchen where he was either going to put on the coffee machine or grab a beer from the fridge. They were both over at each other's apartments that much that they'd made it the rule a long time ago that you could just help yourself.

Closing the door, Ryan mumbled weakly, "I could be somewhere on a Monday," but he knew that it wasn't true. They rarely did anything during a week day and if they did it was together after work. Moving into the kitchen, he watched as Esposito prepared the coffee machine. Leaning against the door, he crossed his arms and looked over at the Cuban detective. "What are you doing here, Esposito?"

"I'm making coffee," the man explained calmly, "because if I don't keep my hands busy, I'm afraid I'm going to punch you." Ryan winced at the man's words but knew that he had it coming. He couldn't ignore Esposito all day and expect the man to be calm about it.

"Esposito..."

"Did I do something to offend you?" The man whipped round quickly, the coffee going everywhere but neither of them noticed as they stared at each other. "I mean, I could understand accidentally forgetting to make me a coffee once but all day and then there was taking Castle out this morning..." He looked down at his hands, his head shaking before looking back up. "I'm supposed to be your partner, man. Not the writer boy." Esposito rarely showed his emotions but Ryan could hear the hurt in the man's voice over the fact that Ryan had taken Castle out that morning. "How am I supposed to have your back if you take someone else out with you?"

"I wasn't going to get shot at, Esposito. I was just bringing in the mistress and Castle isn't completely incompetent, you know. He's had Beckett's back more times than she'll ever admit," Ryan pointed out angrily as he defended the writer because the detective had developed a friendship with the man over the months he'd been working with them and he knew that Esposito had too but it just seemed that Ryan had immediately bonded with him.

"That's not the point, Ryan. If you want Castle to be your partner, why don't you just..." and then Ryan realised something. Esposito was jealous of Castle. The exact same feelings that Ryan was feeling about Lanie were running through Esposito's mind towards Castle and he couldn't help but burst into a fit of laugher, his hands running through his brown hair as he shook his head. This was classic. He knew that Esposito's feelings wouldn't be romantic like the ones Ryan were feeling but it was still nice to know that Esposito didn't like the idea of anyone else being Ryan's partner. "What's so funny, bro?"

"You." Ryan answered through his laughter. "You're jealous of Castle."

"Well jealous is a strong word," Esposito started but looked up at his partner and sighed. "What did I do to make you so mad at me, Kev?"

The blonde haired detective stared at his partner, his eyes wide as he tried to decide how to compose the question running through his mind so that he wouldn't sound like a petulant child but decided there really wasn't a way so he just blurted it out, "You didn't tell me that you were sleeping with Lanie, Javi." He whispered quietly knowing that this was going to be an awkward conversation to have with his partner.

"Who says I'm sleeping..."

"You've been coming in with her every morning for two weeks and if your car was broke, you'd just phone me because I live nearer and..." Ryan ended his sentence, his hand rubbing up his arm as he shrugged and realised that he couldn't bring himself to look at his partner as he spoke any more. It was almost as if he was afraid that Esposito would see the feelings that Castle had so aptly picked up on. However that hadn't apparently worked because Esposito just chuckled.

"So what," he started moving towards Ryan, "that makes you jealous of Lanie? I just don't get why you've ignored me all day if it's Lanie you're pissed at."

With every step Esposito took forward, Ryan found himself taking one back forgetting that his kitchen wasn't that large. "I didn't want you to see what..." the mention of Castle fell silently on his lips as he felt the fridge behind him and he realised that he'd gone and boxed himself into a corner as Esposito stood in front of him, his arms across his chest as those dark eyes of his studied Ryan's face. "I have these feelings and..." He stopped talking when he saw a smile spread across Esposito's lips. "What the hell are you grinning at?" He demanded to know.

"I was aware of your feelings, Kev." Esposito explained quietly and he couldn't help but smile as he rested his hands on the man's hips, his head leaning into press a small kiss to the corner of the man's mouth. "I just knew that you'd never say anything to me because you'd be afraid to jeopardise our partnership so I put a plan into action. Every morning I'd come into work with Lanie, the flirting got stronger as did the touching but you didn't seem to bat an eyelid or even notice for two weeks so..."

"You got Castle to talk to me!" Ryan realised, his eyes going wide as he realised how elaborate this plan had been to get him to realise that the man standing in front of him knew about his feelings. "Well that was just mean, Javi. Why couldn't you just come forward one night during our Madden games and tell me to stop dicking about?"

"It wouldn't have been as fun," he explained before looking down at the man. "You're not really angry, are you?" He whispered pressing a line of small kisses up the man's jaw before bringing them back to Ryan's, taking his lips in a kiss that would probably erase all of Ryan's anger before pulling back to hear the answer. Unable to talk, Ryan shook his head before pulling the man's lips back down on his.

It wasn't long before they found themselves standing in Ryan's bedroom, fully clothed and nervously looking at each other as they realised that was the make or break situation. Taking the initiative, Ryan stepped forward and caressed Esposito's face with his hand gently before pushing the other man down on the bed and smiling as he covered the man's faces in kisses. Once every part of his face had been worshipped, Ryan worked his way down the man's neck and allowed his fingers to work down the buttons of the man's shirt while his lips followed the journey. Ryan had always known that Esposito was muscular but as he moved the material of the shirt away and traced his fingers across the lines, he couldn't help but admire how much his partner worked out before leaning up and pressing a kiss to the man's lips.

The kiss was passionate and a fight for dominance, Esposito's hands tangled up in Ryan's blonde hair as he kept the man there but it wasn't long before Ryan pulled away and continued the journey down Esposito's body, aiming for the belt buckle of his pants. Opening it, he nuzzled Esposito through his pants before pressing an open mouth kiss to the inside of his thigh as he pulled the trousers down to his ankles to pull them off along with his socks. Moving back up, he pressed a kiss to the waist band of the boxers before biting down hard on Esposito's hip causing him to grunt before pulling Ryan up so that he could kiss him while using the power to roll them over so that Esposito was straddling him.

"Are we doing it rough?" He asked ripping Ryan's shirt, ignoring Ryan's comment about that being his favourite shirt, and running his hands down the man's chest as he took in the milky white skin against that of his tanned hands. "I just don't know if I could blemish such beautiful skin by leaving a dirty purple mark," he pressed a kiss to the muscle just above Ryan's nipple, "that would show the world that you're mine." The whimper that escaped from Ryan's mouth caused Esposito to smile as he looked up at his partner. "Or maybe that's what you want... You want everyone to know that this," running his hand down Ryan's chest, he reached his target and cupped the man in his hand through his trousers, giving him a firm squeeze, "is mine."

"Esposito," Ryan pleaded as he bucked up into the man's hand, his hands clawing at his shoulders to bring him down so that they could kiss but Esposito just pressed another kiss to the spot that he'd been teasing and allowed for himself to bite down. Ryan gasped, his legs kicking out underneath Esposito as he ran his hands through the man's short brown hair. "I want you..." He whispered as he moved his hands towards his belt buckle, unfastening it and pulling it loose not caring if this was what Esposito had in mind. Esposito just smiled and moved down to pull off both their boxers before taking both their cocks into his hand and starting to rub. Ryan moaned, his back arching as he reached up to press a kiss against the man's jaw before grazing his teeth along it.

The two of them were already close because of the tension and the teasing, Ryan's hands were running down Esposito's back while his lips pressed small kisses and nips to wherever he could reach. "Esposito," he called out when the man slightly tightened his grip, the actions getting faster because he wanted them together.

Pressing his forehead against Ryan's, he shook his head and laughed as he pressed a kiss against the man's lips but his actions didn't stop. "Come now, Kevin." He whispered as he moved to the man's ear, his tongue rolling along the rim before he nibbled on the lobe. "Say my name," they always stuck to calling each other Esposito and Ryan even when they were hanging out just because it was what they were used to thanks to work but that wasn't happening here.

Ryan felt the familiar tension in his stomach, Esposito's actions getting tortuously slow as he waited to hear his name leave Ryan's lips and the man's head fell back revealing that long column of milky white skin. No longer able to fight the temptation, Esposito leant in and pressed a kiss at the man's pulse point causing Ryan to growl in pleasure but what he wasn't expecting was for Esposito to sink his teeth into the flesh under his lips. Digging his fingernails into Esposito's shoulders, he called out "Javier" causing the other man to grin into his neck and speed up the pumping knowing that Ryan was now close. As if predicting it, both men felt their release and Esposito slumped down on top of Ryan and pressed a wet kiss against his lips.

"We could have been doing this a lot longer if we'd have just spoke to each other," Ryan commented lightly as he climbed out of the bed and moved to get something to clean them up with, throwing it into a corner somewhere when they were done as he turned to face Esposito in the bed.

Smiling, the other man just shrugged his shoulders as he ran his fingertips over the man's cheek. "Que sera, sera." He mumbled lightly as he yawned but then saw that Ryan had a glint in his eyes. "What are you plotting?" He wanted to know as he leant in and pressed another kiss against the man's lips.

"My revenge on Castle and Lanie," he said with a grin as he tangled his legs up around Esposito's before pulling the covers over them, deciding that the other man would be staying with him and they'd be sleeping naked. Esposito groaned into Ryan's neck and Ryan just smiled, his eyes closing as he knew that tomorrow was going to be fun.

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><p><strong>to be continued...<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHORS NOTE: ****The lovely _Extant_ made a perfect point of asking me where Jenny is throughout this story. In my mind, she's not on the scene at all... Ever. There is no Jenny.**

**AUTHORS NOTE 3: As previously mentioned, the prompt of "Ryan is feeling jealous of Lanie and Esposito" was a fic off between my friend, ThePointGirl, and I. TPG has uploaded her story tonight so please please please go over and give it a gander! It's her first attempt at RySpito so I'm seducing her into the archive with our prompts and fic offs!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters.**

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><p>The next morning, Ryan arrived at the precinct a little later than usual and he noticed that Esposito wasn't there yet either. That morning, they'd woken up to Ryan spooned up against Esposito and it had felt so natural that they couldn't help but start leisurely kissing – jokes about morning breath their usual banter – as their fingertips explored naked flesh. They knew they were going to be late but nothing seemed to be important at that moment apart from each other. Eventually, Esposito had pressed one last kiss against Ryan's lips and mumbled that he'd see him at work before grabbing his clothes and moving into the bathroom.<p>

Despite their tardiness, Ryan had still decided to go via the supermarket to get some things for to put his plan of revenge into action and that was the reason he was now weighed down with carrier bags as he moved through the bullpen. "Did you sleep through your alarm, Sleeping Beauty?" Castle teased as he jumped out of his chair and followed Ryan into the break room, obviously curious as to what it was the blonde haired detective was carrying.

"No. I needed to go get some things," Ryan informed the writer in a tone of voice that made it sound as if it was the most obvious thing in the world before starting to empty out the bags that showed snacks, plastic cups and a bottle of champagne as well as a bottle of lemonade to water it down along with a large cake. Castle studied what was in the bag before turning to look at Ryan, his tone one of confusion.

"Did I miss someone's birthday?" He said wrinkling his eyebrows as he tried to work out who it could be for him to have forgotten. Since joining the force, Castle had started hosting most of the birthday parties, calendar and any other holiday he could think of at his luxury apartment because he enjoyed being the host and liked it when they all gathered outside of the office as a whole team. The team, despite their hours of grumbling, were also extremely grateful because the reason they never did was because they never had the time or energy to organise something after another hard day of chasing criminals and some of Castle's parties were fabulous.

Ryan shook his head as he finished moving things to the small fridge before moving to the other bag which held banners that read "CONGRATULATIONS" and showed it to Castle. "I decided last night that seeing as you could tell I had a small minor crush on my partner that I had to do something to make sure that both Lanie and Esposito knew we were okay with their relationship," he turned his back on Castle but could picture him raking his hand through his hair, his mouth opening and closing as a fish as he tried to work out what he could say to the man standing in front of him to prevent him from making such a big mistake, "because we are most definitely okay with their relationship." Turning back round, he flashed the writer a huge grin that could have fooled anyone.

You could practically hear the cogs working in Castle's brain as he tried to come up with an excuse as to why this party couldn't go forward but he couldn't come up with anything. "Couldn't they get into trouble?" Castle suddenly burst out. "Don't you have those stupid fraternisation rules?" He knew that he was grasping at straws but he was hoping Ryan would see sense and put all this stuff back in his car before anyone else arrived.

"Well yes we do," Ryan nodded his causing Castle to release a sigh of relief but that feeling quickly when Ryan continued, "but technically they're not breaking said rules because Esposito is a detective while Lanie works for the medical examiner office," Ryan pointed out calmly as he walked around the break room trying to work out where he could hang up the banner and turned to look at Castle. "You could at least help out! You're the one that highlighted their relationship to me because you wanted to make sure I was happy about the whole situation!"

"I don't think this shows you're happy about it though," Castle analysed deciding that psychology would always be the best option at getting the man to realise that this was a stupid idea. "I actually think this shows that you're struggling with the idea but you've decided that putting on a party and a smile is the best way to deal with the heart break that you're feeling." He was literally grasping at straws but he knew that Lanie and Esposito would be walking through those elevator doors in approximately five minutes, because Lanie had text him causing him to wish that he wasn't a part of this damned plan any more, and he doubted either of them would want to see the banner never mind the rest of the party.

"Castle, you're talking a load of psychological shit." Ryan pointed out dragging a chair away from the table and tacking up the banner, his balance cautious but still close to teetering off but he didn't say anything as he accomplished his task.

"What's happening in here?" Beckett asked as she approached, the thermal mug that matched Castle's in her hands as she stared up at the banner before turning to look at Castle, her eyes wide as she realised what was happening. The other three had obviously filled her in with their devious plot of trying Ryan into admitting his feelings but she had stated that she hadn't wanted to get involved but she wouldn't get in their way if it would open her two detectives eyes. "Who are we congratulating?"

"The start of the beautiful relationship that is Esposito and Lanie," Ryan explained as he jumped down from the chair and looked at the banner, mentally cursing because it wasn't balanced but decided that it would have to do. He turned to smile at Beckett, his hands on his hips as he heard the elevator ping showing that they'd arrived. Clapping his hands, he ushered them away from the door that Beckett had walked in through but towards the other one that led into the corridor. "Quickly," he said handing each of them a party popper and standing at the door where he knew that Esposito would sense they all were because none of them were in the bullpen.

"SURPRISE!" They all cried out, Beckett and Castle's more awkward than Ryan's, as they pulled at the strings on their party poppers causing Lanie to jump, her hand clutching her chest as she tightened her grip on Esposito's arm. Esposito couldn't help but narrow his eyes in Ryan's direction. When Ryan had mentioned revenge, he'd thought a little teasing here and there but he hadn't expected the blonde detective to throw a party so that Lanie would know he was fine with their relationship. He'd kill him later, he mentally decided as he forced a smile on his face and took hold of Lanie's hand that was pressed against his chest.

"I just wanted to throw a little something so that you'd both know that," he went over and gave Lanie a hug, "as a family," before shaking Esposito's hand, "we couldn't be more thrilled at the start of this beautiful relationship but feel slightly hurt that you'd thought you'd be able to keep it quiet!" Ryan dramatically shook his head, sighing. "You should know better than that. We're detectives. We detect these things," He pointed out with a wink before moving to sit on the end of the table, a mug of coffee in his hand before he bit back a chuckle and looked up at Lanie. "So do I hear wedding bells?"

Ryan's rambles had pretty much stopped anyone else from joining in the conversation but that last question has caused Lanie's eyes to pop out, her hand tightening on Esposito's as she heard Castle coughing to cover up his own laughter. "Wedding bells?" She asked feeling like kicking Esposito in the shin for not saving her from this awkward situation. This had been his stupid plan in the first place and it had completely backfired on them all because Ryan had decided that he wasn't jealous. Oh no, he was far from jealous. Quite the opposite actually. He was happy that they'd finally decided to get together and marrying them off.

"Are you saying that you haven't thought about marrying our Cuban detective here? He's handsome, smart and he'll be the best father to your children."

"Children?" Lanie choked gently as she looked at her watch quickly. "Oh my, is that the time? I'm really late. I should get down to the morgue..." She lied quickly as she waved bye to the team and quickly exited. Ryan chuckled into his mug as the other three stared after the medical examiner, their hands covering their mouths as they tried to reassess the situation. Sighing, Ryan finished his coffee and hopped off the table.

"Oh Esposito," he shook his head, "she's a wild one. I'd keep an eye on her." He said patting the man's shoulder before moving into the bullpen, laughing wildly as he moved to his desk and continued hunting for a lead.


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHORS NOTE: Well here we have it guys, the last update of this story. Boy has it been fun! I hope you all enjoy it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters**

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><p>The rest of the day had been long due to Lanie refusing either male detective into her autopsy – Esposito because she was likely to kill him and Ryan because she just didn't want to see him – so Beckett had been doing most of the legwork, not that she complained as she enjoyed hanging out with the medical examiner. Castle had nervously sat at his chair, throwing glances over at Ryan before looking at Esposito as if he could telepathically send messages across to the man about talking to Ryan. Esposito, however, had already received endless text messages off Lanie explaining that he had until tomorrow to tell Ryan the truth or she would because their deal was now firmly off. Eventually, Esposito had shut off his mobile and had decided that if he was asked about it, he'd just say that it had crashed.<p>

Ryan, on the other hand, was enjoying himself. He'd already eaten three slices of the "congratulations cake", had whistled the wedding march all morning and had even sent Beckett down to autopsy with a business card for one of Ryan's cousins who was a wedding planner. Castle had tried to talk to the other man several times about how he was approaching this situation a little bit like a child but Ryan had just explained that was how love made him feel and shouldn't he be happy that two of his best friends had found the "one" in each other? Castle had given up after shooting Esposito and apologetic glance because everyone was believing that Esposito's plan had failed.

However, that night when they reached Ryan's apartment, Ryan had just made it through the door when he was quickly pushed up against it, a thigh firmly pushed between his legs while hands fisted in his shirt keeping him propped against the door. He grunted at the force, wincing as his head met the door but he didn't say anything as he looked down at Esposito, a familiar glint in his eyes. "What's up, Javi?" He teased knowing damned well what was wrong. Esposito had been okay with a little bit of teasing but the constant marriage and kid jibe had finally pushed him over the edge.

"Do you really think I'd make a good husband?" he whispered and the teasing smile disappeared off Ryan's face as he looked down at his partner. He was about to ask what his partner was talking about when he remembered that that was what he'd said to Lanie that morning when she'd squeaked 'marriage' after he'd taunted her. He'd not said those exact words but that was definitely the point behind them.

"Esposito..." The use of surname creating an imaginary boundary as a smile worked it's way back on to his face. "I do think you'd make someone a good husband one day. I've thought that for a long time. You're caring, protective and so damned hot," he reached out, his hands pulling Esposito's shirt out of the waistband of his trousers and slipping his hands under so that he could feel the man's muscled chest, "but Lanie didn't seem to agree. I think she's blind personally," Esposito just chuckled as he leant in and pressed a kiss to Ryan's lips.

"Today was mean," he pointed out calmly, "but good God, I've never seen the other three members of our team more worried about your mental health." He chuckled as he remembered Beckett cornering him in the break room and telling him he needed to fix this before Ryan actually started planning the wedding for them. "How did none of them work out that you had an ulterior motive?" He pressed a small kiss to the corner of Ryan's mouth, his hand reaching up to caress his cheek as he smiled over at the other man.

"Because I genuinely convinced them that I'm happy you're in love with Lanie," he said with a small smile, saying those words out loud hurting his heart even though he knew that wasn't true and couldn't help but mentally chuckle at his own stupidity. Pulling his hand out from underneath Esposito's shirt, he cupped the man's cheek in his hand and smiled over at him. "One day, when we're both ready, we'll let them know that it was a joke because we'd already acknowledged our feelings for each other."

"And what are they?" Esposito challenged because they hadn't really got as far as telling each other how they felt yesterday before they'd ended up in the bedroom with the lips locked and limbs tangled. The feelings had been acknowledged, acted on and had made them both realise that they wanted to be with each other but Esposito sensed they needed to talk to each other about it.

Looking over at his partner, Ryan felt the uncomfortable sensation of feeling awkward washing over him as he realised that he didn't know what to say here. He wanted to tell Esposito that he loved him and that he'd always loved him but he also knew that this was technically day one of their relationship. He didn't want Esposito running for the hills but then again, last night Esposito admitted that he'd been aware of Ryan's feelings and they'd been the reason for his elaborate plan. Sighing, he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. "Javier," he said with a small smile as he remembered the forceful way Esposito had demanded for him to say his name during their time together last night, "I love you."

"Why did you hesitate?" Esposito asked as he pressed a small kiss to each eyelid because Ryan's eyes were remaining closed as he tried to control his breathing and racing heart.

"What if you think it's too soon and you don't feel the same? I'm the one then wearing my heart on my sleeve as I..." his rambles were ended by a pair of lips attaching to his, hands running through his short blonde hair as he was now firmly trapped between his Cuban partner and the door. Opening his eyes, he couldn't help but smile into the kiss as he felt every emotion that Esposito was trying to deliver. There was love, passion and probably annoyance because of Ryan's naivety and hesitation. Lightly nipping at Ryan's bottom lip, Esposito pulled away and smiled at him.

"No hesitation needed, Ryan. I love you too," he whispered gently before leaning back so that Ryan could move away from the door. Glancing at his watch, he turned to grin at the man. "I love you that much, I decided I couldn't keep this a dirty little secret," and before Ryan could ask what the man was talking about, the front door opened and he saw not only the Beckett, Castle and Lanie but also Castle's mother, Mrs Rodgers but please call me Martha, and Alexis standing there with their own party poppers, bottles of champagne and bags filled with treats.

Laughing, he welcomed them all into the apartment and gave Lanie a hug, a silent apology for his behaviour during that day before working his way through the group and blushing at all the congratulations especially when Beckett felt it necessary to add in a "it's about time," to the pair of them. "You didn't have to do this," Ryan whispered as the rest of the clan moved through to the kitchen, Castle taking control of sorting out the food and the lack of decorations they had. Esposito turned to look at him before pulling him into a hug, a small kiss being pressed to the corner of his mouth and then he leant back to shake his head.

"No. These people are our family and we've technically been dating for years," he pointed out thinking how many weekends they'd spent at each others apartments getting drunk and playing stupid video games or just games that got them to know each other more, "and I didn't want you to think that we were going to keep this a secret forever. Plus Lanie was pretty pissed and I didn't want to die," he pointed out causing Ryan to laugh as he wrapped his arms around the man's neck, pulling him in for a kiss but it didn't last long before they heard a clearing of a throat.

"I hope this won't be happening in the office now," Beckett teased before nudging her head in the direction of the kitchen. "Let's get this party started." Both men just chuckled before Esposito followed Beckett into the kitchen, leaving Ryan behind for a few minutes which he was grateful for. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought that yesterday morning he'd been jealous of Lanie because he thought that she'd won the man that Ryan had always loved. Nor could he believe that tonight, he was hosting a party in his kitchen celebrating the relationship to said man. If anyone was to tell him that, he'd just laugh and say that they were drunk or ask if he was dreaming so would they pinch him.

Smiling he walked into the kitchen and laughed when he saw Lanie and Esposito hugging, her smile wide as he pressed a kiss to her cheek before they both turned to smile at him. "Lanie, haven't you heard?" He asked as he moved to the table and picked up one of the glasses of champagne. "I get mighty jealous."

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><p><strong>FINAL AUTHORS NOTE: Well thank you to everyone that has read, alerted and reviewed this story. It has meant a lot to me and has made me realise that I might be writing more RySpito stories in the near future so thank you to you all.<strong>


	6. AUTHORS NOTE 1

Readers and fellow writers,

I write this little authors note seeking your help.

The author that writes under the penname "SweetUnknown" has been plagiarised and not just on fictionpress. Oh no, the person that stole her work has published the work under her name and even though we're fighting to get it unpublished we need to start at the very beginning and that's stopping people being able to copy and paste our works. Fictionpress needs to make it difficult for people to copy and paste our work before people no longer feel safe sharing their works on the website that we love.

So as a writer or as a reader, I plead with you to help us by signing this petition that states we want the copy and paste option removing from fictionpress. Let's take a stand against plagiarism!

All you have to do is sign your penname on the petition form at the bottom of my profile.

I thank you for reading this (please do not lynch me for having not updated! Updates will be up soon!) and I hope you all had amazing Christmas' and a sensational New Year's celebration! Let's hope 2013 is our year!

Helen xo


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